Garrett Says Club Looking For Help At Center And Receiver

Saturday, August 04, 2012 12:53 PM CDT

By Josh Ellis

OXNARD, Calif. – The Cowboys are considering additions at wide receiver and center, according to head coach Jason Garrett.

Less than 24 hours after the team signed two veteran guards, Garrett said “there are some thoughts about” bringing in a veteran center, but the receiver position sounds like it may be an even more immediate concern, possibly something the team could address as quickly as Saturday evening.

“We have to maybe get a guy in here,” Garrett said. “We’ve just got to see who is available.”

The interior of the offensive line has been littered with injuries to this point in camp, and receiver became a concern suddenly on Friday. Rookie Cole Beasley chose to quit the team, while fellow undrafted wide out Saalim Hakim is expected to miss at least a week with a finger injury. Fifth-round receiver Danny Coale, who has been out since May with a broken foot, has been cleared to return to practice, but after being removed from the Physically Unable to Perform list, will have to wait three days before returning to practice.

Injuries to utility linemen Bill Nagy and Kevin Kowalski caused the Cowboys to try David Arkin, Ronald Leary and Harland Gunn – all guards by trade – at snapping the ball. However, other than starter Phil Costa, none of the players lining up at the position are used to the center-quarterback exchange, which made things difficult for the offense even during the low-key walk-through Saturday morning. With a scrimmage Sunday and a preseason game at Oakland on the not-too-distant horizon, the team may not want to jeopardize its evaluation of the entire offense because of one position.

“We cued the circus music a couple different times in that walk-through,” Garrett said. “When the ball isn’t handled the right way, it really slows down the whole process and makes everything look really sluggish and really sloppy.”

The battle for the third wide receiver job behind Miles Austin and Dez Bryant has been one of the most intriguing topics all offseason, but the only player currently on the roster with even one NFL catch is fourth-year pro Kevin Ogletree, still trying to make his way in the league.

Last year, Ogletree was the favorite to win the No. 3 job during camp, but the club added veteran Laurent Robinson at the beginning of the season.